The artistic journey of director and choreographer Bill T. Jones, winner of numerous awards including a Tony Award for Best Choreography (FELA!) and past recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, comes to life in this fascinating documentary. The film captures Jones as he and his company of performers spend two years crafting a powerful dance-theatre piece entitled, “Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We Pray” in honor of the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. The film goes beyond the creative process, profiling Jones’s current struggles with race in the United States and the artist’s appreciation for the man who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Supported by The Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts, U.Va. Department of Drama, U.Va. Arts Council and the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Following the screenings, the Virginia Film Festival and the Office of the Vice Provost of the Arts will present the 2011 U.VA. ARTS ASSEMBLY. The Arts Assembly will center around a discussion on the films and the creative process and feature Bill T. Jones; Director and Kartemquin Films co-founder Gordon Quinn; and moderator Coy Barefoot (WINA). The screenings and Arts Assembly are free to U.Va. Faculty and Staff and U.Va. Students.

U.Va. students can reserve their free ticket online through the Arts Dollars Program here: http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/boxoffice/about/studenttickets.html.

U.Va. Faculty and Staff can reserve their free ticket in person at at U.Va. Arts Box Office or the Festival Headquarters located at the Main Street Arena.

Tickets for the general public are on sale at U.Va. Arts Box Office, the Festival Headquarters located at the Main Street Arena, by calling 434-924-3376, or clicking PURCHASE.